LESLIE: Alright. We’ve got Renee from North Carolina on the line who is looking to update some finishes. What can we do for you today?

RENEE: Our home was built in the 80s. All the finishes in our home are brass, down to our doorknobs, light fixtures and hinges on our doors. I’d like to update some of those finishes. Obviously, I can’t change everything out. What is the best metal to go to when you want to update your home but you are not able to do everything?

LESLIE: Hmm. You’d actually be surprised to hear that brass is kind of making a comeback, so if you kind of hang in there …

TOM: But not at Renee’s house.

LESLIE: Right.

RENEE: But yeah.

LESLIE: I know you’re probably so tired of it but it’s actually seeing a resurgence; this sort of high-polished brass. Even an antique brass. But I think a lot of people are leaning towards antique bronzes or that oil-rubbed bronze, which has like a black-ish, sort of antique-y finish to it that looks kind of neutral, if you will. I feel like something that’s not so shiny is a little bit better to stand the test of time; more like a satin nickel or something in the silver family that doesn’t have too much of a sheen to it.

With faucets and fixtures, you want to make sure that whatever color that you go with has a coating on it that will allow that finish to really stand the test of time because sometimes faucets, whether they’re for a sink or a tub, they can be on the higher end price-wise. And you want to make sure that that finish isn’t going to rub off or wear over time or start to change its patina as it ages.

I don’t think you need to do everything at once but I will say that if you do tackle anything, tackle it as a suite; handle an entire bathroom at once. Don’t sort of leave a brass fixture and then add a satin-nickel faucet, because it’s going to seem kind of weird.

RENEE: OK. Great. Thank you so much.

TOM: You’re very welcome, Renee. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.